Spinning device for producing a filament from a fiber strip

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a spinning device for spinning a filament yarn from a fiber strip. In general such spinning devices comprise a spinning rotor defining a spinning chamber. A fiber singling-out device or needle roller, combined with a fiber strip delivery system, comprising a high speed roller is provided for opening up a fed fiber strip into its individual fibers. The separated individual fibers are fed by an air current, over a fiber feed channel, to the spinning chamber, and the spun filament or yarn is drawn off through a yarn delivery channel. In one known construction the fiber singling-out device is disposed in the housing holding the rotor behind the rotor and coaxial to same. In a second known construction the fiber singling-out device is mounted on an independent bearing member, in front of the spinning rotor and with its axis vertical thereto. ) &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;Vereinzelungswalze&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; literally translated means individualizing roller, i.e., a roller for separating a fiber strip into its component fibers. For sake of clarity it will hereinafter be referred to as &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;fiber singling-out device.&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;

Sept. 4, 1973 I SPINNING DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A FILAMEN'I FROM A FIBER STRIP Gerhard Bartling, Burgstall (Murr), Germany Assignee: SI(F Kugellagerfabriken GmbII,

Schweinfurt, Germany Filed: June 15, 1971 Appl. No.: 153,195

[75] Inventor:

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 18, 1970 Gennany P 20 29 818.6

U.S. Cl. 57/5831, 57/5895 Int. Cl. D01h 1/12, D01h 11/00 Field oi Search ..57/58.8958.95

| 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1967 Meimberg et al 57/5893 X 12/1969 Shepherd et al 57/58.89 5/1970 Bures et a1 57/5891 7/1969 Rajnoha et al.... 57/58.95 12/1971 Naruse 57/5891 Primary Examiner -Donald E. Watkins Anurney- Richard Low and Murray Schaffer [57] ABSTRACT This invention relates to a spinning device for spinning a filament yarn from a fiber strip. In general such spinning devices comprise a spinning rotor defining a spinning chamber. A fiber singling-out device or needle roller, combined with a fiber strip delivery system, comprising a high speed roller is provided for opening up a fed fiber strip into its individual fibers. The separated individual fibers are fed by an air current, over a fiber feed channel, to the spinning chamber, and the spun filament or yarn is drawn off through a yarn delivery channel.

In one known construction the fiber singling-out device is disposed in the housing holding the rotor behind the rotor and coaxial to same.

In a second known construction the fiber singling-out device is mounted on an independent bearing member, in front of the spinning rotor and with its axis vertical thereto.

Vereinzelungswa1ze" literally translated means individualizing roller, i.e., a roller for separating a fiber strip into its component fibers. For sake of clarity it will hereinafter be referred to as fiber singling-out device.

11 (Zlaims, 4 Drawing Figures 50 4a 1.5 u. a2

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SPINNING DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A FILAMENT FROM A FIBER STRIP In the first construction a self-contained compact configuration was achieved, but an inherent deficiency occurred in that a sharply curved comparatively long fiber feeding channel was required, due to which an unfavorable flow condition for delivering the singled-out fibers occurred. n the contrary, the second known construction made possible a substantially straight and short design for the fiber feeding channel, but this in turn required a great deal of space to accommodate the device.

The aim of the present invention is to create a spinning device of the type referred to, which combines the advantages of the above described constructions but avoids their disadvantages.

According to the present invention this problem is solved by installing the fiber singling-out device in the housing, so that it feeds the separated fibers at an angle, not exceeding 40 to the axis of the spinning rotor, and by locating the needle roller of the fiber singling-out device, as seen from the side, so that it extends at least partially in front and beyond the open end of the spinning rotor.

This construction makes it possible to accommodate the spinning rotor and the singling-out device within a very small space inside the housing, and enable the fiber feeding channel to be made correspondingly short and almost straight, resulting in favorable flow conditions for fibre feeding.

In a preferred form of construction the fibre singlingout device and the spinning rotor are disposed axially parallel to each other in the housing, while the needle roller of the fiber singling-out device, as seen from the side, is disosed in its entire axial extent, in front of the open end of the spinning rotor. The spacial arrangement of the fibre singling-out device in regard to the spinning rotor may be optional, the essential feature is solely that the distance between the axes of both rotating members be maintained as small as feasible with regard to the fiber, in order to keep the fibre feeding channel as short as possible. It is also preferred that the spinning rotor and the fiber singling-out device are arranged in the housing in a common vertical plane, whereby the spinning rotor is superposed above the fibre singlingout device,

The drive of the spinning rotor and the fibre singlingout device may be obtained by various means. For example a driving beltmay be used for power transmission. The arrangement of the fibre singling-out device below the spinning rotor, however, makes it advantageous to effect the drive of both of the components by a joint tangential friction belt, whereby, for example, the upper line of the belt passes over the journal of the spinning rotor shaft and the lower line of the belt over the pulley of the fibre singling-out roller shaft.

The housing has both a hole for the spinning rotor as well as for the fiber singling-out device. To clean the rotor and the fibre-singling-out device the housing is equipped in known manner with a detachable housing cover. Even with such a construction, an effective cleaning of the fibre singling-out device on its perihperhy would hardly or only be possible if it could be removed from its axis or taken out of the housing to expose it for manipulation. An advantageous effect of the present invention occurs by forming the chamber or space in which the spinning rotor and also the needle roller is disposed in the housing cover, so that upon removal of the housing cover the periphery of the fibre singling-out needle roller inevitably becomes freely ac-- cessible. This form of construction has the further advantage that the fibre feeding channel in its totality may then be arranged exclusively in the cover. It is comparatively easy to incorporate the channel in the in cover. Finally, the present construction, in a simple manner, makes it possible to alter the spinning device in such a manner that the form and positioning of the fibre feed channel can always be adapted to the existing conditions, by arranging the fibre feeding channel and/or the yarn doffing channel in a seperate and interchangeable insert part inside the cover wall.

In the interest of a compact configuration of the spinning device, the fiber strip feed assembly disposed before the fibre singling-out device is best arranged in such a manner that at least one fiber strip feed roller is installed in the housing axially parallel to the needle roller of the fiber singling-out roller. It is preferrable to arrange the axis of the fiber strip feed roller substantially in the same plane as the axes of the spinning rotor and the fibre singling-out device.

Finally in a further advantageous development the spinning device according to this invention it can be constructed so that the spinning rotor and the fibre singling-out device can be jointly stopper brought to a standstill when cleaning becomes necessary without actually stopping the driving belt that powers them. This can be done in known manner in that one stationary brake jaw each is provided in the space between the driving journal of the spinning rotor and that of the fibre singling-out device respectively, and that the housing is hinged about a stationary axis in such a way that when pivoted the driving journals leave the driving belt and positively contact the respective brake jaws.

The advantages of the present invention and full details of the invention are described herein and illustrated in the drawings, where FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross section of a spinning device according to the present invention mounted in operating position on the frame of a spinning machine,

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1, partly broken away,

FIG. 3 is a view according to FIG. 1 with the spinning device in standstill position,

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section through a second embodiment of the housing cover of the spinning device.

The spinning unit shows an assembly with a housing 10 disposed between two parallel frame rails 12 and 14 of the frame of a spinning machine.

As is apparent from FIG.2, the housing is greater in height than in width, being essentially of ashlar rectangular form. A horizontal bore 16 is formed in the upper half of the housing 10 and is adapted to receive a spinning rotor assembly 18. The rotor assembly comprises a cup shaped rotor defining a spinning chamber 20 facing outwardly of the front side of the bore. The rotor is mounted at the end of a bearing shaft 22 journalled in a housing 26 secured within the bore 16 by a resilient sleeve 24. The sleeve and the bearing housing extend beyond the rear face of the housing and the bearing shaft 22 is formed with a drive shaft end or journal 28.

Axially parallel to the spinning rotor and below the same there is located in the housing 10 an assembly 30 defining a fiber singling-out device, e.g., a needle or picking roller. The needle roller is rotatably mounted on a bearing shaft 32 journalled in a bearing housing 34 secured in housing 10. The bearing shaft 32 likewise extends beyond the rear back of the housing and carries a belt pulley 36 of comparatively large diameter. The construction of these members is such that the axial length of belt pulley 36 and that of journal 28 are equal and that both lie in a common plane. As is apparent from FlG.2, the axes 18 of the spinning rotor and 30 of the fibre singling-out roller lie in a common vertical plane aa. Furthermore, as is apparent from FIGJ, it will be seen that the needle roller of the fiber singlingout device 30 extends in forwardly of the spinning rotor so that its entrie axial extent is disposed in front of the spinning rotor. The fiber singling-out roller 30 is located in a horizontal bore 38 which is in communication with the spinning chamber 20 of spinning rotor 18 via a communicating fiber feed channel 40.

The above described arrangement of spinning rotor and fibre singling-out roller makes it possible to construct the fibre feed channel 40 comparatively short and almost straight or so slightly curved upwards in the direction of spinning chamber 20, that an advantageous delivery of the singled-out fibers occurs. By the mutual arrangement of spinning rotor and fiber singling-out roller in housing 10, as shown, an overall construction of the device is achieved that is remarkable for its small dimensions. For example, if the needle roller of the fiber singling-out device 30 lies at least in part axially in front of the spinning rotor so that a line between the two makes an angle of approx. to to the axis of the spinning rotor, then the fiber feed channel could be I disposed entirely straight between the two, whereby the fibers can be fed directly from the needle roller to the chamber 20 of the spinning roller as indicated in FIG.2. This angle may be increased to a maximum of if desired, and the needle roller may be made to lie whole in front of the spinning chamber if desired. The vertical distance between the needle roller and the spinning rotor is preferable maintained as small as possible, however.

Housing 10 is closed on its front side by a detachable cover 41, which together with the front surface 42 of the housing defines the housing space 38 which accommodates the needle roller fiber singling-out device 30 as well as a fiber feed channel 40. At the upper end of the cover 41 as shown in FlG.l a latch or locking member 44 is provided, extending away from its rear surface and having a locking shoulder that engages within a suitable hole 46 formed in housing 10. The locking member 44 coacts with a locking nose 48 which in turn is secured to spring lever 50. The locked cover can be released by lifting this spring lever to radially move the locking nose outwards with respect to recess 46, whereby the latch or locking member 44 is released. The cover is, in addition, pivotable secured at its lower end by a pivot axis 49. The machine frame has a stop pin 51 for the cover.

As is clearly apparent in FIG. 1, there is securely disposed in cover 41, coaxial to the spinning rotor a yarn doffing tube 52 having a fiber shield 54 integral with its inner end that projects into the spinning chamber 20 of spinning rotor 18 in known manner. The spinning rotor 18 forms a radial fan-wheel blower, i.e., it has a multiplicity of radial channels 56 in its facial end that are in communication with an air delivery channel 58 leading out of the housing.

As seen in FIG. 2 there is also interposed in front of the needle roller of the fiber singling-out device a delivery assembly comprising a fiber strip or sliver feed roller designated by 62. This feed roller is also preferably disposed with its axis of rotation in the vertical plane a-a underneath the needle roller of the fiber out device. The feed roller is provided with a pivotal pressure shoe 68 having a pivot axis counteracting the effect of pressure spring 66, by means of which the fiber strip 70 entering the housing from below is pressed against the periphery of the feed roller. The feed roller 62 is also axially parallel to the spinning rotor and the needle roller of the fiber singling-out device in housing 10 and is powered via a magnetic clutch 72 by drive gear 74 meshing with drive shaft 76. The electromagnetic clutch 72 is controlled by a not shown yarn breakage monitor, which supervises yarn running.

A tangential friction belt jointly drives the spinning rotor 18 and the fiber singlingout device 30. The upper run 78 of the belt runs along the journal 28 of spinning rotor shaft 22 and the lower run 80 of said belt runs along the periphery of belt pulley 36 of the fiber singling-out device.

in order to clean the spinning chamber 20 and the needle roller of the fiber singling-out device the spinning unit can be pivoted in known manner about a pivot axle 82 located at the upper end of the housing. As a result the drive of the spinning rotor, the needle roller and the fiber strip feed roller are all simultaneously interrupted in that the components 28,36,74 come free from the runs 78 and B0 of the tangential friction belt and of the driving shaft 76, due to the clockwise pivotal motion of housing 10. As shown in FIG. 1 the journal 28 of shaft 22 as well as the belt pulley 36 of the needle roller are provided with brake jaws 84 and 86, respectively arranged in a correspondingly inclined plane. The positioning of the brake jaws is selected so that, in the pivotted position of housing 10, the journal 28 and the belt pulley 36 contact the corresponding brake jaw, as a result of which the spinning rotor and the fiber singling-out device are rapidly brought to a stop.

Construction can also naturally be such that housing 10 can be pivotted about a lower rotray axis or pivot point instead of the upper pivotal axis 82; in this case the arrangement of the tangential friction belt and of the brake jaws 84,86 and drive shaft 76 must be correspondingly modified to ensure that an interruption of the drive and the breaking of spinning rotor and fiber singling-out roller occur.

The hinging of housing ltl about pivotal axis 82 is positively actuated once the detachable cover 41 is released and pivoted about its own lower pivotal axis 49. As shown in F lG.3, the detachable cover opens to abuts against stop pin 51, resulting in a lever effect that positively unlinks the detachable housing 41 from the position seen in FIG. 1 moving it into the open position shown in FIG.3.

Normally, the housing is locked in its position shown in FlG.ll on the frame of the spinning machine by means of latch hook seen in detail in FlG.3. The latch hook 90 is pivotable about a hinge 92 by counteracting the effect of spring 94. A torsion spring 96 having an end 98 is disposed about hinge 92. The hinge 92 has another end fixed to the hook 90 so that when the cover 41 is opened and pivoted to strike the spring end 98, the spring twists, resulting in moving the latch hook 90 into release position whereby the housing is released and is caused to pivot upwardly about axle 82.

The detachable housing cover shown in FIG.4 differs from that described above in that both the fiber feeding channel 40 as well as the fibre doffing tube 52 are disposed in an insert 100 which is interchangeable in the housing cover. This construction permits a modification of the fibre feeding channel in form and arrangement, in that suitable inserts 100 can be interchanged dependent upon the fiber used and yarn formed.

1 claim:

1. Apparatus for spinning yarn from a fiber strip, comprising a housing, a spring rotor mounted at the end of a shaft journalled in said housing to rotate about an axis, said rotor defining a spinning chamber, means for separating fiber strips into individual fibers and duct means extending between said separating means and said spinning chamber for delivering said fibers to said spinning chamber in an air stream, said separating means comprising a needle roller mounted at the end of a shaftjournal in said housing to rotate about an axis offset from said rotor axis and axially situated at least in part in front of said spinning chamber, the line between said needle roller and said spinning rotor being at an angle less than 40 with respect to the axis of said spinning rotor.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the angle lies between 25 and 35.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the axes of said spinning rotor and said needle roller lie in a common vertical plane and said rotor is disposed above said needle roller.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the axes of said spinning rotor and said needle roller are parallel to each other.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the spinning rotor and the needle roller are driven in common by an endless friction belt tangential adapted to engage each shaft.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 including a cover pivotally mounted on said housing defining therewith a space for said spinning rotor and for said needle roller, said duct extending therebetween being formed in said cover.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the cover is formed with a separable portion in which said duct is formed, whereby differently sized ducts may be exchanged by replacing said separable portion.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein a tube for withdrawing spun yarn is provided in said separable portion.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 including a fiber strip feed assembly comprising a fiber strip feed roller coacting with a presser shoe mounted in said housing axially parallel to the needle roller and disposed in a plane common to the axes of the spinning rotor and needle roller.

10. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said housing is pivotally mounted on a frame, and the apparatus includes brake means spaced from each of said rotatably journalled shafts, said housing being movable to cause said shafts to disengage from said tangential belt and engage said brake means.

11. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the shaft of said needle roller is provided with an enlarged pulley engaging said belt whereby said roller is rotated at a speed greater than said spinning rotor.

* I! I? k 

1. Apparatus for spinning yarn from a fiber strip, comprising a housing, a spring rotor mounted at the end of a shaft journalled in said housing to rotate about an axis, said rotor defining a spinning chamber, means for separating fiber strips into individual fibers and duct means extending between said separating means and said spinning chamber for delivering said fibers to said spinning chamber in an air stream, said separating means comprising a needle roller mounted at the end of a shaft journal in said housing to rotate about an axis offset from said rotor axis and axially situated at least in part in front of said spinning chamber, the line between said needle roller and said spinning rotor being at an angle less than 40* with respect to the axis of said spinning rotor.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the angle lies between 25* and 35*.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the axes of said spinning rotor and said needle roller lie in a common vertical plane and said rotor is disposed above said needle roller.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the axes of said spinning rotor and said needle roller are parallel to each other.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the spinning rotor and the needle roller are driven in common by an endless friction belt tangential adapted to engage each shaft.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 1 including a cover pivotally mounted on said housing defining therewith a space for said spinning rotor and for said needle roller, said duct extending therebetween being formed in said cover.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the cover is formed with a separable portion in which said duct is formed, whereby differently sized ducts may be exchanged by replacing said separable portion.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein a tube for withdrawing spun yarn is provided in said separable portion.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 1 including a fiber strip feed assembly comprising a fiber strip feed roller coacting with a presser shoe mounted in said housing axially parallel to the needle roller and disposed in a plane common to the axes of the spinning rotor and needle roller.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said housing is pivotally mounted on a frame, and the apparatus includes brake means spaced from each of said rotatably journalled shafts, said housing being movable to cause said shafts to disengage from said tangential belt and engage said brake means.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the shaft of said needle roller is provided with an enlarged pulley engaging said belt whereby said roller is rotated at a speed greater than said spinning rotor. 